News & Events

Biology Faculty Member Earns Award

8/11/2006 —

Matthew P. Hoch, assistant professor of biology at Penn State York, has received the 2006 Watershed Stewardship Award from the York County Conservation District (YCCD). Hoch received the award earlier this month. Each year the YCCD recognizes individuals and groups who demonstrate support for the conservation of York County and who serve as stewards of its natural resources.

Matt Hoch, assistant professor of biology at Penn State York, right, accepted his award from the York County Conservation District during a ceremony on August 1 (see picture on right).

Hoch joined the Penn State York faculty in January 2002 and since that time has earned a reputation for his outstanding work in water conservation. In addition to the variety of courses he teaches at the campus, Hoch is well-known in the area for his work on the Codorus Creek Restoration Efficacy Program (CCREP) at Penn State York and his commitment to educating the public about the importance of watersheds. The CCREP, in partnership with local watershed organizations and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is assessing the outcome of stream restoration efforts on aquatic ecosystem health and water quality in the Codorus Creek Watershed, York County, in southcentral Pennsylvania. Hoch involves students in these research efforts and provides hands-on experience to them.

He has conducted a watershed academy for middle school students and their teachers to learn fundamental concepts of watershed ecology using inquiry based activities and experimental learning. He has also taught watershed hydrology lessons for high school students, and continues to provide learning opportunities for students of all ages. He is the founder of the Penn State York Science and Technology Seminar Series and was instrumental in planning and implementing Earth Day activities on campus and throughout the county.

Prior to taking the position in York, Hoch spent nearly five years developing a research-focused undergraduate biology program and teaching microbial ecology at Malaspina University - College in British Columbia, Canada, where he served as a biology department chair and university-college professor.

Hoch received his Ph.D. in marine biology/biochemistry from the University of Delaware in 1991. He earned a B.A. with distinction in biology from the University of Colorado in 1985.

He has served on the Watershed Alliance of York Board of Directors and as the Technical Advisory Committee Chairman. He has been a peer reviewer for articles submitted to two international journals, Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Limnology and Oceanography. He is a member of the Codorus Creek Improvement Partnership, the American Society of Microbiology, and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.

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